We reached the main tourist village of Alishan Forest Recreation Area around noon, after a gruelling 1-1/2 hr bus ride up the winding mountain road from the foothills. After lunch, we walked one of the forest trails/pathways which leads from the restaurant to the Shou-zhen Temple. One of the first attractions which greeted us along the trail was the Sisters' Lakes, shown in the picture. There are two pavilions supported on big cypress stubs in the lakes and connected to the bank by a wooden bridge. The inevitable legend associated with the lakes was that 2 native girls fell in love with the same man, and to avoid hurting each other or giving up their love, they committed suicide by jumping into the lakes.

It was raining intermittently throughout the whole afternoon, but we were none the worse for it. From Shou-zhen Temple at the end of the trail, we left the Alishan Forest Recreation Area by bus to Pu Li in the evening. It was a pity that we missed seeing one of the most famous scenes in Alishan, viz:- sunrise/sunset over the sea of clouds below the mountain peaks.